Sustaining Energy Performance Across a Multi-Site Estate
Project Overview
DLR Leisure operates public leisure facilities across Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, providing essential recreational and wellbeing services to local communities.
Managing energy performance across multiple operational buildings presents particular challenges. Leisure centres have significant heating, ventilation, water heating and other energy demands, while maintaining comfortable, reliable facilities for members remains a priority.
Lawler Sustainability partnered with DLR Leisure through an eight-year Energy Performance Contract (EPC), combining energy efficiency improvements with guaranteed energy and carbon savings, ongoing monitoring and continuous performance optimisation.
The partnership extends beyond the initial installation of energy-saving measures, with a focus on maintaining and improving performance throughout the contract term.
Through the Lawler VISION monitoring platform, measurement and verification, staff training and structured performance reviews, DLR Leisure has greater visibility of how its facilities operate and the tools to sustain improvements over time.
The Challenge
For operators managing several leisure facilities, controlling energy consumption and costs is an ongoing operational challenge.
Different building systems, occupancy patterns and operating schedules make it difficult to understand where energy is being consumed and whether equipment is performing efficiently.
For DLR Leisure, the requirement was not simply to reduce energy consumption. It was to establish a reliable, long-term approach to managing performance, controlling costs and delivering measurable carbon savings across its estate.
This required a solution that combined technical improvements with transparent reporting, operational accountability and the ability to respond to performance issues as they arise.
Our Role
Lawler Sustainability delivered an integrated Energy Performance Contract, supporting DLR Leisure from energy efficiency improvements through to ongoing performance management.
The programme includes:
- Energy Performance Contracting: An eight-year framework incorporating guaranteed energy and carbon savings, with ongoing accountability for performance.
- Metering and monitoring: Deployment of the Lawler VISION platform across leisure facilities to provide real-time visibility of energy use and operational trends.
- Measurement and verification: Assessment of actual energy consumption against established baselines, supporting transparent reporting of achieved savings.
- Post-occupancy evaluation and optimisation: Ongoing analysis of building performance, identifying opportunities to address inefficiencies and improve operation.
- Staff training and engagement: Supporting leisure managers in interpreting monitoring information and responding proactively to emerging issues.
- ISO 50001 support: Annual assistance with the energy management audits and recertification process for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
From Energy Savings to Continuous Performance Improvement
A key feature of the project is its focus on maintaining performance throughout the contract term.
The Lawler VISION platform provides DLR Leisure’s facilities teams with access to live operational information, helping them understand consumption patterns and identify potential problems that might otherwise remain undetected.
Real-time monitoring, out-of-range alerts and structured performance reviews enable issues to be investigated and addressed rather than allowing inefficiencies to become embedded in day-to-day operations.
Importantly, the approach is supported by training. Leisure managers have developed greater confidence in interpreting energy information and using it to make informed operational decisions.
The result is a more proactive approach to energy management, where performance is continuously monitored, reviewed and improved.
Project Results
The DLR Leisure Energy Performance Contract has delivered measurable benefits, supported by ongoing monitoring and verification.
- 30% annual energy savings – Reported energy performance following the initial project implementation.
- €269,000 annual energy cost savings – Reported savings achieved through energy efficiency improvements.
- €72,000 annual maintenance cost savings – Reported reductions in maintenance exepnditure.
- Eight-year EPC – A long-term contractual framework for guaranteed energy and carbon savings.
- Real-time energy visibility – Lawler VISION deployed across DLR Leisure facilities.
- Ongoing performance verification – Monitoring and structured reviews to assess performance against agreed baselines.
- ISO 50001 support – Annual assistance with energy management audits and recertification.
Beyond the initial savings, the project has strengthened DLR Leisure’s ability to monitor energy consumption, control operating costs and manage building performance over the longer term.
Long-Term Impact
The DLR Leisure project demonstrates how Energy Performance Contracting can move beyond a one-off programme of efficiency upgrades to establish a lasting framework for operational improvement.
By combining engineering expertise, verified savings, real-time monitoring and staff engagement, Lawler Sustainability has helped DLR Leisure build a more informed and accountable approach to managing energy across its facilities.
The project highlights the value of treating energy performance as an ongoing operational responsibility, supported by the right technical expertise, data and processes.
Looking to Improve Energy Performance Across Your Buildings or Operational Estate?
Lawler Sustainability helps organisations identify energy-saving opportunities, implement improvements and verify performance through energy auditing, Energy Performance Contracting and ongoing optimisation.
Contact our team by completing the form below to discuss your energy performance requirements.
